Wood flooring.



D. A. YOUNG.

WOOD FLOORING.

APPLICATION man OCT. 20. I915.

1 1 98,306. Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

Witness UNITED TATiitd PATENT EEK DOCTOR A. YOUNG, OF IMARQUETTE,MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOE OF ONE-HALF T0 LEON E. GABVIN, CF IEARQUETTE,MICHIGAN.

VIOOD FLOQEING.

Application filed. October 20, 1915.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, DOCTOR A. YOUNG, acitizen of the United States of America, residing at lilarquette, in thecounty of blarquette and State of Michigan, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Vood Flooring, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to improvements in wood flooring andparticularly to that type of flooring known as parquet, or inlaidflooring.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a flooring of thischaracter which will be comparatively inexpensive for the reason thatthe parts constituting the flooring may be made up from otherwise wastewood or material; durable, because of the fact that the wood may be laidwith the grain edgewise instead of flat with the length of the wood, andeiiicient because of the structure of the flooring by which the severalparts are bound and locked together in a rigid and compact floor.

The invention consists essentially in certain novel combinations andarrangements of parts as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one example of thephysical embodiment of my invention constructed 'according to the bestmode I have so far devised for the practical application of theprinciples of my invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of flooring embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is a sectional view at 22 Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a sectional view at 33Fig. 1. Fig. t illustrates a joint between two binding strips. Fig. 5 isa perspective view of one of the blocks constituting the major portionof the flooring.

In the construction of floors according to my invention I employ eitherhard wood or soft wood, and in the preferred form of the invention asillustrated in the drawings a multiplicity of blocks 1 are employed.These blocks are of suitable size, and preferably are made with the edgeof the grain at the top or bottom of the block. The blocks are ofgenerally rectangular form with straight flat sides 2, flat smooth ends,and a pair of grooved or recessed sides 3. These blocks may be producedbv cutting a strip of wood of the proper dimensions,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 916.

Serial No. 56,868.

width. The blocks are made of standard sizes and shapes with the grainrunning the same general direction so that the blocks may be handledwith facility and rapidity in constructing the floor. These blocks arespaced apart and locked by two sets or series of crossed strips 4 and 5,the rows of blocks being arranged in parallelism at right angles andlocked between the crossed strips of wood, 4 and 5. The strip 5 is flat,of suitable thickness, and as wide as the height of the blocks so thatwhen stood upon edge the top of the strip is flush with the top of theblock. The strip 4 is also of the same width as strip 5 so that whenlaid the floor presents a smooth flush surface. At regular intervalsthroughout its length the strip 5 is fashioned with open end slots 6extending approximately half way across the width of the strip. Thesides of the strip 5 are plane to fit against the sides 2 of the blocks1 and the open slots of the strips are spaced apart a distance equal tothe width of-the blocks.

The strips 4: are similarly slotted at 7 and these slots are adapted tofit snugly over the slotted portions 6 of the strip 5, a joint beingillustrated in Fig. 4. The strip 4- is not flat however, for instead ofthe plane sides or faces of the strip 5 I fashion the strip with a ridge8 on each side, and the inclination of the two faces of the ridge is thesame as the inclination of the grooves in the blocks 1 so that the apexof the ridge fits into the deepest portion of the groove of the blocks.

It will thus be seen that the two binding strips 4 and 5 are jointedtogether at their notches, and the blocks are locked in the rectangularspaces between the strips by the interlocking of the ridges on thestrips 4 and the grooves or recesses n the sides of the blocks 1.

The structure may be assembled by first standing erect and inparallelism a number of spaced strips 4E with notches 7 uppermostand thenotches of adjacent sarips alined.

The blocks are then placed between these (by hand if desired) while thestrips 5 are successively applied, fitting the notches 6 and '7together. Then the strips are tapped until their upper surfaces and theupper surfaces of the blocks are flush and at this time the blocks areheld in place between their strips which latter entirely surround theblocks. After the structure has thus been completed its upper surfacemay be planed and sand papered to give it a uniform smooth surface.

When being laid, the parts may be glued or cemented together if desired,suitable adhesive material being employed for this purpose, and afterthe floor has been properly covered and the parts set, the floor may besmoothed with a planing machine or sand papering machine, to secure theproper polish or finish. It will be understood that either soft or hardwood may be used, or the use of these woods be alternated in the stripsor blocks, however, the edge of the grain in all cases is presented forthe wearing surface of the floor. Desirable designs or patterns may heprovided by using different colored woods in the symmetrical arrangementof parts, and the flooring may be secured to its required foundation inany workmanlike manner.

From the above description taken in connection with my drawings it isevident that 1 have provided a parquet flooring that fulfils thepurposes and objects set forth above, and performs the functions of sucha floor in a comparatively perfect manner.

hat I claim is 1. A parquet flooring composed of two crossed sets ofparallel, notched and interlocked strips forming separated spaces andblocks in said spaces each having grooves upon two opposite sides, andthe strips of one set each having a rib on each face engaging saidgrooves.

2. A parquet flooring composed of two crossed sets of parallel, notchedand interlocked strips forming separated spaces and blocks in saidspaces each having locking means at opposite sides thereof, and one setof strips having locking means at opposite sides of each strip co-actingwith the locking means on the blocks.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature.

DOCTOR A. YOUNG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of letents, Washington, D. C.

